A Free Man By Thomas Jefferson And Sally Hemings - 1612 Words

Imagine living a life in slavery, where you have a limited freedom and society constantly looks down on you. If you had the opportunity to be a free man, would you take it or would you come running back to becoming a slave? Two of Thomas Jefferson’s slaves, James Hemings and Sally Hemings had to make this decision in 1789. James and Sally are part of a family that held various high positions at Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation. Martha Jefferson, Jefferson’s wife, was step-siblings with James and Sally. When Jefferson was called to be the U.S. minister in France, he called upon James to come with him to serve as his servant. Two years later, Sally followed accompanying Jefferson’s youngest daughter, Polly to France. While in France, James and Sally were considered free due to the â€Å"Freedom Principle.† This states that any slave who sets foot in France is now considered a free man. Jefferson chose James specifically to come with him to France b ecause he knew that James wanted to be chef and France was the perfect place to enhance his culinary skills. Not only did Jefferson pay for James’ training but he also gave James a salary that was more than the average salary of anyone in his profession. There are those who believe that James’ loyalty to Jefferson was a valid reason to stay; however, I believe James unwisely chose to leave behind the booming city of Paris and his personal freedom. This paper will explore the factors that James considered to make his decision. First, IShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Thomas Jefferson And Sally Hemings1057 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Jefferson is an outstanding man. He already is a lawyer, politician, plantation owner, philosopher, and inventor when the United States just recently declares independence from England. Despite this, is there any conspiracy surrounding this great man? Why yes there is one for him. One of the most divisive rumor in the United States is between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. The question do Jefferson fathered Sally Hemmings children? is the main question of this rumor up to until DNARead MoreThe Relationship Of Thomas Jefferson And The Declaration Of Independence1563 Words   |  7 PagesJefferson was a founding father who created the Declaration of Independence and he was hypocritical when it came to his ideas of freedom about slaves in America. Thomas Jefferson didn’t grant African American slaves their rights when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. He owned slaves on his plantation which goes against the American freedoms that he wrote about in the Declaration. Jeffersons personal relationships with his slaves affected the way that he viewed African Americans. ThomasRead MoreEssay on Thomas Jefferson: Hero or Hypocrite?1423 Words   |  6 Pages3rd president and member of the original founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. While most Americans view Thomas Jefferson as an upstanding and honorable man, he was plagued with the moral contradiction of having fathered children with one of his slaves Sally Heming’s and as a result spurred a great deal of controversy. As a result of his action’s Jefferson’s virtuous demeanor is questioned and shows how hypocritical he is. Peter Jefferson, a planter turned legislature in the Virginia House of BurgessesRead MoreThe Life Of Thomas Jeffersons Most Trusted Servants1651 Words   |  7 Pages Among the hundreds of slaves at Monticello resided James Hemings, a young man who, through his renown family and unique skills, became one of Thomas Jefferson s most trusted servants. Son of Elizabeth Hemings, a half African, half European slave, and John Wayles, Jefferson s Father-in-Law, James was a half brother of Martha Jefferson. James and his direct siblings, although considered to be black based on the ethnicity of their mother, were actually only one fourth African, with the remainingRead MoreThomas Jefferson Was Not A Successful President1827 Words   |  8 PagesThomas Jefferson was not a successful President and was an even less successful friend. Jefferson treated both his mistress Sally Hemings and his once dear friend Abigail Adams very poorly. It was because of this that both of these women grew a deep rooted hatred for the man. Sally Hemings and Abigail Adams killed Thomas Jefferson because of the way he these women and their loved ones as well as how he felt towards women and African Americans. Sally Hemings was born in 1773 in Virginia to ElizabethRead MoreEssay on Thomas Jefferson: A Controversial Man1785 Words   |  8 Pages Most people only know Thomas Jefferson as the third President of the United States but he was much more than that. Thomas Jefferson was a very controversial man. From his work as a Founding Father to the mysteries of his personal life, Americans continue to find him to be very intriguing. He challenged the way the government was run previously by the first two presidents and became an advocate for the people. This paper talks about Jefferson’s role as a leader during the creation of theRead MoreEssay William Wells Brown and the Jefferson and Hemings Scandal1773 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Wells Brown and the Jefferson and Hemings Scandal William Wells Brown wrote Clotel or The Presidents Daughter, a (fiction) novel based on the rumors surrounding Thomas Jeffersons affair with Sally Hemings, his slave. Brown learned of the scandal while working in several antislavery activities following his escape from slavery in 1834. Brown wanted not only to improve the social status of blacks and to support abolition through his writing, but also to encourage his readers toRead MoreThe State Of Virginia By Thomas Jefferson1277 Words   |  6 PagesThomas Jefferson created two facades when it came to racism and slavery. Thomas Jefferson had a personal history with slavery and owning a plantation, but in certain instances he appeared to support equality like in his letter to Benjamin Banneker. Different texts like Notes on the State of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson with the related documents edited by David Waldstreicher, and Banneker and Jefferson Letter Exchange are examples of the hypocrisy committed by Jefferson. This conne cts to modern dayRead MoreThomas Jefferson s Influence On Modern Day Democracy1616 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Jefferson’s Influence on Modern Day Democracy and Racism Thomas Jefferson created two facades when it came to racism and slavery. Thomas Jefferson had a personal history with slavery and owning a plantation, but in certain instances he appeared to support equality like in his letter to Benjamin Banneker. Different texts like Notes on the State of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson with the related documents edited by David Waldstreicher, and Banneker and Jefferson Letter Exchange are examples ofRead MoreEssay on Interrogation of Freedom1785 Words   |  8 Pagesor state of being free as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.† Both are occasions of freedom, but when examining liberty, it can take numerous forms depending upon the source. Independence for a child may be that they no longer have to hold their mother’s hand or be under their parents’ rule. In particularly the mid 1700’s, freedom for a white land-owning male and an African-American slave were two utterly different ideas. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the